Endless conveyors



Aug. 6, 1963 J. E. SHEEHAN, sR

ENDLESS CONVEYORS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July l0, 1961 IN VEN TOR.

llllll Juil IFC:

JOSEPH SHEEHA/V, Se. BY

ATTORNEY ug. 6, 1963 1 E, SHEEHAN, 5R 39100,()41

ENDLEss coNvEYoRs Filed July 1o. 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

l .JOSEPH E. SHEEHAA/,s am da@ ATTORNEY ug. 6, l963 Filed July l0, 1961J. E. SHEEHAN, sR 3,100,04E

ENDLEss coNvEYoRs 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTUR.

JOSEPH E. SHEEH/i/Vl Si?. l

ATTORNEY ug- 6, 963 J. E. SHEEHAN, sR 3,100,041

ENDLESvS CONVEYORS Filed July l0, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 /a/LSL4L frINVENTOR.

JUSEPH E. SHEEHAN, Se.

BY ayu;

A T TORNE Y United States Patent M 3,iii41 ENDLESS CNVEYRS Ioseph E.Sheehan, Sr., lFiint, Mich., assigner to Mary Ann Sheehan, Detroit,Mich. Filed Enly 10, 1961, Ser. No. 122,755?, l0 Claims. (Cl. 1933-1558)This invention relates to endless conveyors, and particularly to suc-hconveyors as are adapted to maintain a load-carrying position ofload-carriers relative to their path of travel, or to predeterminedlyalter such position to an unloading position about an axis of rotationsubstantially transverse to said path of travel.

An object of the invention is to provide spaced, similar, paralleltracks, and at least one load-carrier unit adapted for travel along saidtracks and rotatable about said axis to effect said change of position.

Another object is to rigidly mount on said unit a control elementrotatable about said axis tto rotate said carrier thereabout to maintainor change said position, and to further provide an actuator to act uponand rotate said control element.

Another object is to provide a guideway, following a normal path, inassociation with at least one track and to provide means on saidactuator to `follow the guideway; and to form said guideway withabnormal contours to position said means lto act on said control elementand [to rotate said carrier, when said means passes through saidabnormal contours.

Another object is to provide track-followers for the carrier unit and toadapt a sur-face of said track to act upon said track-follower to resistundesired rotation, and to adapt an extent of said track surfacecorresponding with an extent of said abnormal contour to aiford saiddesired rotation.

These and various other objects are attained by the constructionhereinafter ydescribed and illustrated by the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a rear elevational view of my invention showing a carrier in aload-carrying position and a carrier in an unloading position.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational sectional view of the invention on line 2 2of FIG. l, showing said carriers.

IFIG. 3 is a side elevational view in section on line 3 3 of IFIG. l,showing additional carriers to illustrate the governing effect of theguideway.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view on a langer scale on line 4 4 of FIG. 3rotated 90 clockwise, showing details of the track-follower, controlelement, and actuator.

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view on line 5 5 of FIG. 4, rotated 90clockwise.

FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view on line 6 6 of FIG. 4, rotated 90counter clockwise.

FIG. 7 is a pantial sectional View on the same line as FIGn 3, butshowing a modification of the'carrier rotating means.

In these views, the reference character 1 designates a pair ofvertically elongated, lateraliy spaced side members having verticalspans la and horizontal spans 1b. A brace 2 surmounts and rigidlyinterconnects the upper horizontal span, and a support 3 elevates andfurther interconnects the `device at the lower horizontal spans.

Each side member 1 is similarly formed with a track 4 and a :guideway 5,the purpose of which is hereinafter explained. The two parts 6 and 7 `ofeach side member are joined by a plate 8, cut to the contour of saidmembers (as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3), and which also serves to enclosethe guideway.

Ribs 9 rigidly mount bearings 1li in which are journaled shafts 11 torigidly carry sprockets 12, having hubs 12a. Said hubs are secured onthe shafts as by set screws (not shown) to bear against the inner facesof the ribs Med-,504i Patented Aug. 6, 1963 ICC 9 and resist axialmovement of the shafts 11. An endless chain 13 is mounted upon saidsprockets. Power may be applied |to any one Vof said shafts and in anyconvenient conventional manner to rotatively drive such shaft, itssprockets, and the chains.

Dogs 14 are interspersed as required between links of the chain 13 todrive carrier units 15. Each unit comprises axially aligned shafts 16;each such shaft has `one end rigidly received in a respective lug 17,which lug is secured, as by welding, to a carrier plate 1S. Said shaftpasses through said dog to be driven thereby, and has its other endrigidly mounting a trackafollower assembly. Said assembly includes arectangular plate 19, on which are mounted wheels 20 journaled on axles21 and rolling on the opposed surfaces of the track 4l. Said axles areequally spaced from and about the longitudinal axis of the shaft 16.

The axles mount a second rectangular plate 22, which in turn carries ashort shaft 23 in permanent axial alignment with the shafts 16. Acontrol element 24 is mounted on the shaft 23, the function of suchelements being explained below. Said control element carries anactuator, including a trolley 25 received in a recessed runway 26 formedin the control element. Said trolley being provided with wheels 27 tofacilitate travel longitudinally of said runway. A cover plate 28secured to the control element retains the trolley in the runway, and isslotted at 29 to afford passage to an axle 30 of said actuator to mounta wheel 31 for travel in said :guideway 4, whereby, `as hereinafterexplained, the actuator acts on the control element to rotate thecarrier about the longitudinal axis of the shafts 16.

As best seen in IFIG. 3, the tguideway follows a path normallydetermined by the necessity to maintain the carrier plate 18 in ahorizontal, load-carrying position. However, in the construction asillustrated, as the carrier idescends (on the right in FIGS. 2 and 3) itis desired to tip the carrier unit ninety degrees for the vpurpose ofunloading the carrier plate L8.

To eifect such tipping, the entire unit is caused to rotate about thesaid longitudinal taxis of the shafts 16. The guideway 5 departs fromits normal path to follow an abnormal contour 33, and the track isrecessed, as at 35. Thus, the contour 33 tends to draw the guide wheel31 toward the right, forcing it to follow a longer path than thetrack-follower 19, 20, 21, 22, yas the chainv |13 drives saidtrack-follower in a substantially rectilinear path of travel. 'Ihislonger rightwardly directed travel of the guidewheel causes the trolleyto apply pressure upwardly and increasingly rightwardly within thecontnol element to rotate said control element, and consequently therigidly connected carrier unit, ninety degrees to empty the carrierplate 18 of its load. Once the wheels 20 engage the track surfacesagain, and the guideway is aligned with the track, the actuator willnormally drop until the trolley reaches the bottom of said runway asseen in FIG. 3.

The tactuator remains in this position, due to the respective pathsfollowed by the track and guideway, until the guide wheel encounters theportion 43` of the guideway curving toward the lower horizontal span 1b.'This curvature draws said guide wheel and trolley to uppermost positionof the trolley before the track-follower fully emerges from ,the trackin the vertical span. Thus, when the axle 30 passes through a point ofalignment with the axis of rotation, the wheels 20 are still engagedwith said track to resist undesired rotation of the carrier, which couldoccur at said point, if the wheels were free of the track. As saidtrack-follower enters the track in the lower horizontal span 1b, fadownwardly inclined abnormal contour 34 draws the guide wheel downwardlyto its lowest position, because the track surface at this point is notrecessed, and thus restrains the wheels 2o against rotation.

The subsequent upwardly inclined portion of :the contour 34 imposes alonger path of travel on the guide wheel than is followed by fthetrack-follower, and the track is here recessed at 36, which Aallows thecontrol 'element to respond to a rearwardly `and increasingly upwardlydirected pressure of the trolley to rotate said control element and therigidly associated carrier unit until the carrier platte 18 is returnedto a horizontal position for loading. Any type of reloading means thatis practical may be employed with the construction.

Said rotation -to unload the plate may be accomplished more rapidly than`as :above described, by disposi-ng a xed cam 38 in the path of thecontrol element at the point at which such rotation is desired (FIG. 7).Engagement with the cam forces Ithe control element to rotate in thedesired direction. To afford such rotation, the track must be recessed,as at 36, and the guideway must align itself with the track, as seen inPIG. 7, so that the axle of the guide wheel is aligned with the axis ofthe shafts 16.

Otherwise, said guide wheel would be odset from theaxis of said shaft 16as best shown in FIG. 6, and would tend to resist rotation.

The path of the guid'eway relative to that of the track is intended tosubject the guide wheel as constantly as possible to .the drive of thechain, whereby control may be maintained over the position of the axle30 relative rto the axis of the shaft 16. Thus, the upwardly inclinedcontour 37 (FIGS. 2 `and 3) draws the guide wheel to the left so that itwill be drawn by the control element (responsive to the chains drive)across the upper horizontal span 1b. The only point in its travel Wherethe guide wheel cannot be subjected to said drive `and control is theaforesaid extent of travel from the point at which full rotation hasyoccurred at track recess 35, to the curvature 43' lof the guidcway andthe trolley may drop to the bottom of the runway as aforesaid.

As the track is omitted art the juncture of each vertical and horizontalspan of the side members reliance is placed on an olfset relation of theaxis of the shaft i6 and the axis of the guide wheel axles 30 -topreventundesired rotation of the carrier unit. Such offset relation (bestillustrated in FIG. 4) is induced, of course, by the guide- Way contours41, y42, 43 and 44, which follow paths nonaligned with the paths of thetracks.

It may here be noted that if 4it is desired, the recess of the track maybe extended appropriately, and the abnormal contour of fthe guideway,such as at 33, may return to a vertical course before it becomes alignedwith the track as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. This would dispose the axle 30in a higher plane than the shafts i6, and would tend to maintain thecarrier, while such situation continued, at any desired angle, whichyangle would be predetermined by the spacing of [the longitudinal centerof the guideway from and parallel to that of the track. As said trackwould, in such case, not act to restrain rotation of the carrier, suchrestraint would be imposed by the juxtaposition of the shafts 116 asthey pass through the dogs, and of the said axle 30 mounting said guideWheel.

The aforesaid arrangement of the track-follower allows two of the wheelsto engage each of :the opposed surfaces of the track, whereby said tracksurfaces impose said restraint against rotation or rocking of thecarrier on the axis of the shafts 16. While four wheels are shown, thesame result may be obtained with additional wheels on axles equallyspaced from and about the axis of shafts 16.

The four wheel arrangement is suited :as seen above to rotation :ofninety degrees. With six wheels, suitably disposed, the angle ofrotation could be reduced to sixty degrees, land still maintain twowheels in contact with the Itrack surfaces before and after eachrotation of sixty degrees.

'Obvious-ly, the described construction may be employed for rnanypurposes, and its proportions may be 'adapted to many environmentalconditions. For example, it may serve to carry parts to productionlines, or .to carry ores from mines, particularly up steep inclines, notsuited for la belt type convey-or. The carrier .plate -18 would, ofcourse, .be designed for the job it would have to do.

What I claim is:

l. In an endless conveyor, a pair of latenally spaced parallel tracks,one or more carrier units :adapted for travel along said tracks androtatable between alternative carrying and unloading positions -about anaxis extending through said carrier and substantially transverse to thedirection of said travel, said unit including a carrying member, asupport member disposed lbetween the tracks and rigidly supporting saidcarrying member, .track-followers mounted on the support member landrespectively positioned for travel Ialo-ng the respective tracks, drivemeans acting on the carrier to effect such travel, a control elementmounted fon the track follower and actuiable to rotate said carrier unitiabout said axis, said track follower including a plurality of wheels atleast .two of which roll on a surface of the track, said surface actingon said wheels to resist said rotation of the carrier uni-t, mea-nseffective on said control element to induce desired rotation 'of thecarrier unit about said axis between said positions, and said trackbeing adapted to afford said rotation.

2. In an endless conveyor as set fonth in claim l, said last mentionedmeans being ra cam element disposed in the path of travel of lsaidcontrol element dor engagement -by said `control element, whereby saidelement is camrned into desired rotation about said axis, land said'track surface is recessed to remove said resistance to rotation.

3. ln an endless conveyor, a pair of laterally spaced panallel tnacks,one or more carrier units adapted for travel along said tracks andhaving an axis of rotation extending through the carrier andsubstantially transverse to the direction of said travel, said unitincluding a carrying member, zarsupp-ort member disposed between saidtracks and rigidly supporting the carrying member, tnackforllowersmounted on ythe support member and respectively positioned for travelalong lthe respective tracks, drive means 4acting on the carrier unit.to effect such travel, a control element mounted on a mack-follower andactu- -able to rotate said carrier .unit about said axis of rotation, aguideway associated with one of the tracks and normally following -apath parallel -to that of said tracks, an :actuator mounted on the:control element to tnavel in said guideway, said guideway being formedwith an abnormal contour, whereby said actuator responds to its ltravelalong said contour to tact on the control element to eect desiredrotation of the :carrier unit ab out said yaxis between alternative loadcarrying and unloading positions.

4. In an endless conveyor 'as set forth in claim 3, a ftnack surfacenormally eng-aging said track-follower .'to resist undesired rotation[about said axis, and said suriace being formed with la recess to allordsaid desired rotation respons-ive to said actuator.

5. ln -an endless conveyor as set forth in claim 4, said control elementbeing elongated, `and said actuator being mounted thereon for travellongitudinally thereof responsive to travel lof the actuator :along saidabnormal con-tour to .position said actuator fto act on the controlelement to effect desired rotation, land said lrecess in the track`surface `being disposed to correspond to said position.

6. In `an endless conveyor as set forth in claim 5, said tnack followerincluding la plurality of wheel-s revolu-ble on faxes spaced from andabout the axis of rotation of the carrier unit, said wheel-s rolling onsaid track surface and encountering said resistance.

7. In yan endless conveyor `as set forth in claim 5, said actuatorincluding a shaft, and la wheel revoluble on said shaft to toll in saidguideway.

8. In `an endless conveyor Ias yset forth in claim 7 the (last mentionedshaft mounting la trolley :spaced lfrom said guide Wheel, and saidcontnol element being `iomned with a longitudinally extending mlnway .toreceive said trolley for said longitudinal travel.

9. In :an endless `conveyor `as set Jorth in :claim 8, means to restrainsaid trolley from escape `ifi-01:11 said mmway, said means being adaptedtto afford said travel of the trolley Iand said last mentioned shaft.

l0. An endless conveyor as set forth iu claim 9, said drive meansincluding an endless chain, means, including -ra idriven sprocket -tosupport said chlain, means fno drive said sprocket, land meansinterconnecting the chain with said cam'er unit to uansmit said idr-iveto lsaid carrier 5 unit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS431,262 Hendenson July 1, 1890 1,769,348 Krummel July 1, 1930 1,871,372James Aug. 9, 1932

1. IN AN ENDLESS CONVEYOR, A PAIR OF LATERALLY SPACED PARALLEL TRACKS,ONE OR MORE CARRIER UNITS ADAPTED FOR TRAVEL ALONG SAID TRACKS ANDROTATABLE BETWEEN ALTERNATIVE CARRYING AND UNLOADING POSITIONS ABOUT ANAXIS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID CARRIER AND SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSE TO THEDIRECTION OF SAID TRAVEL, SAID UNIT INCLUDING A CARRYING MEMBER, ASUPPORT MEMBER DISPOSED BETWEEN THE TRACKS AND RIGIDLY SUPPORTING SAIDCARRYING MEMBER, TRACK-FOLLOWERS MOUNTED ON THE SUPPORT MEMBER ANDRESPECTIVELY POSITIONED FOR TRAVEL ALONG THE RESPECTIVE TRACKS, DRIVEMEANS ACTING ON THE CARRIER UNIT TO EFFECT SUCH TRAVEL, A